Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

J.T. Chargois

Minor MLB Transactions: 9/5/17

By | at

Here are the day’s minor moves from around the league…

  • The Orioles announced that right-handers Tyler Wilson and Logan Verrett have both cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Norfolk. The O’s exposed both players to waivers as a means of opening 40-man spots for Pedro Alvarez and top catching prospect Chance Sisco. Wilson, 27, has logged a 5.02 ERA over 145 1/3 innings with the Orioles from 2015-17, and his numbers at Triple-A have taken a step back in the past two years as well. Verrett, also 27, saw just 10 2/3 innings with the Orioles this year after coming over from the Mets organization this past spring. He’s struggled to a 5.10 ERA with below-average K/BB numbers in Triple-A as well.
  • The Twins announced that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Michael Tonkin and created space by recalling righty J.T. Chargois from Triple-A and placing him on the Major League 60-day disabled list. The 27-year-old Tonkin was once one of the more promising bullpen prospects in the Twins’ system, but he’s underwhelmed in numerous auditions over the past few years. Minnesota outrighted him earlier this year, but he’s back after pitching to a brilliant 1.73 ERA with 13.2 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and a 45.5 percent ground-ball rate in 41 2/3 innings with Triple-A Rochester. Chargois posted video game numbers between Double-A and Triple-A last year and was viewed as a potential option in 2017, but he’s missed most of the year with a right elbow impingement.
  • Right-hander Raul Alcantara is back with the Athletics, who have selected his contract and opened a 40-man spot by placing righty Paul Blackburn on the 60-day disabled list. Alcantara was outrighted after clearing waivers earlier this year, and he responded to his 40-man removal by posting a solid 2.67 ERA in 33 2/3 Triple-A frames (albeit with just 5.9 K/9 against a more impressive 1.9 BB/9 mark). Blackburn left a start in late August after being struck in the hand by a line drive, and while he’s only been diagnosed with a contusion, his season is over with that placement on the 60-day DL. He missed fewer bats than just about any pitcher in the league but still managed a 3.22 ERA in 58 2/3 innings with the A’s in his debut campaign.
  • The Rays selected right-hander Chaz Roe’s contract from the minors in advance of tonight’s game. Tampa Bay picked up Roe in a minor trade with the Braves earlier this year. The 30-year-old pitched 21 innings with Tampa’s Triple-A affiliate in Durham and worked to an even 3.00 ERA with a ridiculous 35-to-5 K/BB ratio. In parts of five big league seasons, Roe has a 4.16 ERA with 9.6 K/9, 4.5 BB/9 and a 54.4 percent ground-ball rate.

Pitching Health Notes: Gray, ERod, Urias, MadBum, Chargois

By | at

Rockies righty Jon Gray made his first rehab start, as Nick Groke of the Denver Post reports. He may need only one or two more minor league outings before rejoining the Colorado rotation, but holds out the promise of providing a significant boost upon his return. Likewise, southpaw Tyler Anderson is making his way back toward the big leagues, meaning the Rox will face some rotation questions in short order.

Here’s more on a few other pitching health matters from around the league:

  • It’s possible that the Red Sox may soon welcome back lefty Eduardo Rodriguez. per an update from manager John Farrell (h/t Peter Abraham of the Boston Glove; links to Twitter). Rodriguez was “ecstatic” after a 33-pitch pen session today, says Farrell, who indicated that the southpaw may be only one rehab start away from returning to the majors. That would surely be excellent news for Boston; Rodriguez’s knee issue seemed rather frightening when it arose, since he has dealt with significant problems in the joint in the past.
  • Likewise, the Dodgers got good news on young southpaw Julio Urias, as Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports (Twitter links). While he’ll still be shut down until the soreness in his shoulder subsides, Urias did not exhibit any structural issues in an MRI.
  • With the Giants back in Colorado, the team is seeing continued progress from ace Madison Bumgarner, who is still recovering from the shoulder injury he suffered in an off-day dirtbiking accident during the team’s prior trip out to Denver. As John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets, Bumgarner is set to face live hitting on Sunday and report to the organization’s spring facility. After that, he’d only be a rehab assignment away from a return, though the club will undoubtedly exercise ample caution given the club’s unenviable position in the standings.
  • As the Twins continue to hold onto a surprising AL Central lead, despite one of the league’s worst bullpens, the front office is surely at least thinking of ways to bolster the MLB roster while also remaining mindful of the broader organizational mission. Unfortunately, the club seemingly won’t be able to call upon relief prospect J.T. Chargois, per Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN, who tweets that a “stress reaction on the outside of his elbow” will keep the young righty out for some time. The fireballer already missed significant time earlier in his career with elbow problems. Minnesota already lost out on another possible mid-season boost to the bullpen when Nick Burdi required Tommy John surgery earlier this year.

Twins Place Phil Hughes, Trevor May On Disabled List

By | at

SATURDAY: Hughes has a fracture in his knee and will be out six to eight weeks, Phil Miller of the Star Tribune tweets.

FRIDAY: The Twins have placed right-handers Phil Hughes and Trevor May on the disabled list and, in a pair of corresponding moves, have activated fellow righty Kyle Gibson from the DL and promoted right-hander J.T. Chargois from Triple-A Rochester. Hughes lands on the DL with a left knee contusion suffered upon being struck by a line drive last night against the Marlins, whereas May is suffering from back spasms, per the team. Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press first reported Chargois’ promotion.

While the 29-year-old Hughes will technically be placed on the DL due to the knee issue, it’s been more than a full season since Minnesota saw him at his best. Hughes initially signed a three-year, $24MM contract prior to the 2014 season and proceeded to have a breakout year, totaling 209 2/3 innings of 3.52 ERA ball with 7.98 K/9 against 0.69 BB/9. His 11.63 K-to-BB ratio was the best single-season mark posted by a starting pitcher in Major League history, and the Twins saw fit to reward his breakout with an additional three years and $42MM the following December. Hughes has been a different pitcher since that 2014 campaign, however, pitching to a combined 4.83 ERA with 5.4 K/9 against 1.2 BB/9.

Last season, he spent more than a month on the disabled list due to back issues, and his velocity has taken a notable hit in each season since the aforementioned breakout. After averaging better than 92 mph on his heater in 2014, Hughes averaged 90.7 mph in 2015 and has averaged just 90.5 mph in 2016. Whether it’s a dip in velocity, decreased precision from that historic ’14 season or some combination of the two that has led to Hughes’ rapid decline, he hasn’t given the Twins the type of performance they’d hoped upon extending him, and his regression has played a role in the team’s poor start to the 2016 campaign.

Regression from May, too, has plagued the Twins. The former top prospect and starter-turned-setup-man was a genuine weapon for the Twins upon a move from the rotation to the ’pen last season. May, 26, posted a 2.87 ERA in 31 1/3 relief innings for Minnesota last season to go along with a 37-to-8 K/BB ratio. He came out of the gates arguably even better in 2016, recording a 1.89 ERA with a 27-to-8 K/BB ratio through his first 19 innings, but he’s become exceptionally homer prone as of late, leading to dreadful results. Since May 13, the right-hander has been tagged for four homers in just 7 2/3 innings, resulting in a ghastly 16.43 ERA. All told, May has an unsightly 6.08 ERA in 26 2/3 innings this season. While homers have been the primary reason — his xFIP, which normalizes homer-to-flyball ratio, is a perfectly palatable 3.31 — it’s possible that May’s back spasms have prevented him from finishing pitches.

In Chargois, the Twins are promoting one of their most intriguing bullpen prospects. The former second-round pick’s journey to the Majors was slowed by Tommy John surgery, but he brings with him a fastball that can reach triple-digit velocity ratings and a highly impressive resume between Double-A and Triple-A. Chargois has totaled 24 innings between those two levels this season and posted a 1.12 ERA with a 34-to-9 K/BB ratio. Baseball America rated him 15th among Twins farmhands this offseason, calling more of a pitcher than a thrower in spite of his blistering velocity and offering some praise for his slider and changeup as well.

Gibson, 28, was rocked in his first four starts of the season and has been on the shelf since mid-April. If he’s healthy enough to resemble the 2015 version of himself — 3.84 ERA, 6.7 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, 53.4 percent ground-ball rate — he’d be a boon to a Twins rotation that ranks last in the Majors in ERA (5.51), as it did in 2013 and 2014.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrows FOX Sports Engage Network scroll to top